debacle

Pronunciation

• IPA: /deɪˈbɑː.kəl/, /dɛˈbɑː.kəl/ (UK); /dɪˈbɑ.kəl/, /dəˈbɑ.kəl/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French débâcle,^[2][3][4][5] from French débâcler (“to unbar, free”),^[2][5][3] from Middle French desbacler,^[3][4] from French des- (“off”) + bacler (“to bar”),^[2][5] from Vulgar Latin *bacculāre,^[2][4][5] from Latin baculum (“stick, rod”).^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The breaking up of ice in a river, and the violent rush of water that follows (1802).^[6][5][4][3]

Semantic evolution

In English the literal sense was first used in geology, to explain the landscapes left by the ice ages.^[5] The figurative sense “disaster, collapse” already existed in French,^[5] and English adopted it by 1848, for a sudden downfall or a confused rout.^[6][5][4] It is now used above all for a complete, often humiliating failure.^[2][3][1]

Timeline

• 1802 – a breaking up of ice in a river; a violent rush of water.^[6][5][4][3]
• 1848 – a sudden downfall or rout; a disaster.^[6][5][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A sudden, disastrous collapse or defeat; a rout.
2. A total and often ludicrous failure.
3. The breaking up of ice in a river.
4. A violent flood.

Related words

• bacillus
• imbecile
• fiasco

Usage notes

The older spelling débâcle, with accents, is now given only as a variant, if at all, in most major dictionaries.^[1][3]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press